Madonna: 'MDNA' - Album review

"Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for offending thee," Madonna confesses on the opening of her new album. Her sense of humor has always been drier than a good Martini, but it's been particularly arid in the build-up to her 12th studio opus. Anyone in doubt need only watch the music video for the LP's lead single 'Give Me All Your Luvin', in which the 53-year-old breastfeeds a doll before tossing it to one side.

It's merely the tip of the iceberg on MDNA (the title itself is proving contentious amongst proud-parent types), which sees her acting her shoe size in latest cut 'Girl Gone Wild' and going on a gun-wielding rampage on 'Gang Bang'. Both are aggressive, four-to-the-floor club thumpers that not only prove she can pull off the latest trends, but she does so one better than most.

In between the silliness, Madonna also sheds an almost disconcerting amount of light on her private life. "Lawyers suck it up, I didn't get a prenup," she sing-speaks on the bratty 'I Don't Give A' about her failed marriage, before finding inner peace on stirring closer 'Falling Free' - the result of a long-awaited reunion with producer William Orbit that more than lives up to the hype.

There are plenty of duff lyrics to be found ("You're like James Dean driving in a fast car" on 'Superstar'), but it doesn't overshadow the fun to be had here; particularly on the funky and carefree 'I'm A Sinner' and the see-sawing melody of 'Addicted' where she chants "M, D, N, A" for a full 45 seconds. She's always known how to cause a stir, and on this particular occasion it's for all the right reasons.